|
Section 8 Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ]
The following are frequently asked questions regarding the Section 8 Program:
Who participates in the Section 8 Program?
The Section 8 Program assists low-income households. The Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) selects families/individuals who meet income and eligibility guidelines. A participating household may choose to remain in the unit they are currently living in or move to a unit anywhere in Multnomah County.
How is rental assistance provided?
HAP calculates the amount of assistance each family receives. The level of assistance is based upon family size, income, and current reasonable market rents. A household is expected to pay 30% to 70% of it's income toward the monthly rent. Each month, HAP makes housing assistance payments directly to the landlord to make up the difference.
What are the tenant's rent responsibilities?
The renter must pay all rent and utilities that are not covered by the lease. Because the family is receiving assistance, the rent burdon should be reduced, enabling the family to pay rent more easily and on time. Renters must pay their rent on time according to the terms of their lease.
What are the terms of the lease?
The term of the lease will be a minimum of 12 months but may not total 365 days. HAP will determine the beginning and end dates of the lease. All leases will end on the last day of the month prior to the start month (i.e. starts 11/03/04 - ends 10/31/05.)
How much may a landlord charge for security deposit?
The landlord is allowed to charge a security deposit similar to what is charged to other fair market tenants.
What if the landlord wants to terminate the lease?
If the lease term is a month to month, the property owner or manager can give the tenant a legal notice to vacate at anytime. Upon the end of a specific lease term (6 months, 1 year, etc), the agreement rolls over into a month to month unless the owner and the tenant choose to sign a new lease. If the owner wants a tenant to vacate who has NOT fulfilled their lease term, the owner can only give the tenant a notice WITH CAUSE and with the proper action according to the Oregon Landlord Tenant Law.
What if the renter vacates the unit in violation of the lease?
The property owner may retain the security deposit for the amount of unpaid rent and any damages caused to the unit.
Visit our other information pages about Section 8 at:
Introduction to Section 8
Section 8 Terms and Responsibilities
Section 8 Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
Section 8 Landlord Opportunities & Benefits
Current Rental Vacancy Listings
For Section 8 Participants:
We invite you to visit our new Resources for Section 8 Participants page. It contains a wealth of information specifically designed to help new and continuing Section 8 Participants.
 |
To view the PDF files on HAP's website, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded for free by clicking the "Get Acrobat Reader" logo. For information about translating PDF files into text to assist visually-impaired users, visit Access.Adobe.com. |
| 
